Changing jobs during lockdown
Changing jobs can be nerve-wracking at the best of times, but I did it in the midst of a global pandemic.
With many people finding themselves out of work or on furlough due to coronavirus, I’m well aware how fortunate I am to be in a positive position career-wise. But it’s not been without its worries. Now, one month into my new role as UX Copywriter at Capital One, I wanted to share my experience so far…
The search begins
I began my job hunt back when things were ‘normal’. We’d never even heard of coronavirus. I had the luxury of being in a job, looking for a job, which allowed me to be choosy.
I sometimes wonder if I would have been as motivated to consider a career change if we were already in lockdown. I know many have been forced to, and I can’t imagine it to be an easy situation.
The virtual interview
My face-to-face interview got switched to a video call the night before. Due to the escalating coronavirus situation, onsite visitors were no longer allowed.
Perhaps being in the comfort of my own home made me more relaxed, but whatever it was, I got offered the job the very next day! Naturally, I was excited, but then a small feeling of uncertainty came over me. Could I really accept the job without meeting anyone in person, or at least walking around the office where I’d be working? Yes, I was still naively thinking this would all blow over in a month or so…
My HR rep completely understood my feelings, and managed to arrange an exceptional office visit with the building management. After a coffee with the hiring manager and then a Zoom meeting with some of my other potential colleagues, I got a good vibe, so I accepted the role.
Sealing the deal
By this point, the coronavirus situation was becoming more serious. Now, more than ever, I wanted to make sure I had signed a contract before resigning. I’d heard of friends who’d had hiring processes put on hold, or had had offers revoked because their new employer was now struggling financially. Indeed, some colleagues at my current company were being furloughed.
No messing about, Capital One arranged the contract promptly. I handed in my notice and five days later the UK went into lockdown.
Saying goodbye
My remaining three months at my last company were spent firefighting. Like many companies, we were hit full-force by the impact of coronavirus. My day-to-day work was spent on endless Zoom calls, completely rebuilding processes and rethinking user journeys, which left little time for the non-work-related chats.
I’m good friends with many of my colleagues, it’s hard not to become close to people you’ve worked with for three years. I knew there’d be ones I’d still see after I left, but what made me sad was missing the opportunity to cherish the last moments with the ones I maybe wouldn’t see in person again. These were the colleagues who perhaps had young families, or lived outside of London. They maybe didn’t come to the social events, but we’d chat every morning in the coffee queue, or collaborate daily on a project. I had some one-to-one goodbye calls, which were really tough.
My previous manager did a great job of making my last day special, despite the circumstances. And, as I closed my laptop at around midnight, a little tipsy after saying goodnight to the last remaining stragglers, I was impressed with how long my virtual leaving drinks lasted. Sure, kicking-out time in Soho’s bars would normally be much later, and I was essentially getting drunk alone in my kitchen, but I’d had a good night.
Onboarding
My first day began on my sofa. It’s become the norm to see snippets of our home lives on Zoom, now everyone’s working remotely. I didn’t mind that so much with people I knew, but it felt a little strange with people I’d never met. Cue the virtual backgrounds!
My first week had some technical hiccups. Due to some kind of miscommunication, my new work laptop didn’t reach me until the fourth day. I think most new starters experience some form of issue in the early days, but being remote, you feel a little more helpless. Nevertheless, my team was really understanding and once I finally got my equipment, things were fine.
Like every new starter, I’ve been swimming in a sea of new faces, names and job titles. As well as trying to remember what people do, I’m trying to remember which office they’re normally based in, as Capital One’s UK side of the business is spread across London and Nottingham. While everyone’s working from home, it’s not really that relevant, but it’s just another thing to get my head around.
Rookie blunders and endless questions
As a new starter, I have a whole bunch of questions. And while the team has loads of great guides and documents, there are some areas I’ve needed more detail on. It’s times like these when I wish I were sitting with my colleagues and could just swivel round in my chair and say ‘Hey, you know that thing…’. Doing that on Slack makes you feel far more irritating, no matter how helpful the person is you’re asking.
I made a bit of a fool of myself one day too, when I invited a US-based colleague in error to a meeting about a project we’d been speaking about (or so I thought). In my fairness, she shared the exact same name with the UK-based colleague I’d actually been speaking to. The US-based colleague politely declined, explaining the meeting was in the wrong time zone for her and completely irrelevant. Meanwhile, I was wondering if she’d had a sudden episode of amnesia, as we’d only just been talking about the work. Having not met any of these people, it all got very confusing. Then it clicked!
Getting to know the newbie
As lovely as everyone’s been so far, it’s definitely been hard establishing a real connection with people I’ve only seen as a thumbnail on my screen. When you’re in meetings, you’re there to discuss the task at hand and there’s only really a few minutes at the beginning for chit-chat. However, those somewhat meaningless conversations are actually really vital in getting to know a person.
Capital One has done well to keep the culture alive in isolation. In the past month, I’ve had a daily standup call with my team, where we allow time for fun and games at the end. I’ve also joined a Podcast and Pinot discussion group, played virtual bingo and got out of a virtual escape room (with a few minutes to spare!).
I recently grabbed a coffee IRL with one of my new teammates who is also based in London! In my true collaborative fashion, I ended up inviting her along to lunch plans I had later on with some other friends, so it turned out to be a really great day.
Despite all the talk of a potential second wave of lockdown, I’m remaining positive. While London’s pretty much back to normal again, I’m making the most of it; from daily walks along the canal, to lunchtime and after-work meet ups with colleagues (old and new). I’m still keen to return to office life soon, whenever that may be. This new way of working may not be my favourite, but I’m pleased I took the leap and I’m looking forward to seeing how the next few months pan out…
Wish me luck!
